EUROPE / MEDITERRANEAN MIGRATION RESPONSE

Transcription

1 EUROPE / MEDITERRANEAN MIGRATION RESPONSE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION SITUATION REPORT 19 November 2015 Highlights IOM mobile team supporting the registration process at the registration centre in Presevo IOM Serbia, 2015 In Turkey, IOM finalized the purchase and custom clearance of three rescue platforms that will be used by the Turkish Coast Guard Command for rescue-at-sea operations. The raft platforms can keep 10 adults afloat until further assistance arrives. IOM installed 20 containers equipped with heaters in two sectors of the Slavonski Brod transit centre in Croatia. In Greece, IOM began the implementation of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) surveys on the island of Kos and the Idomeni border area with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The DTM will help IOM and partners to provide more effective and targeted assistance to affected populations. IOM deployed an expert on immigration and border management to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to assist in strengthening the information on the composition and flows going through the Western Balkan countries. More specifically, the focus is to better understand the smuggling and trafficking networks in order to help affected government authorities formulate appropriate policies and responses. As of 16 November, IOM, together with its partners have assisted with more than 394 boat landings in Italy and provided legal counselling to approximately 95% of the migrants who have arrived by sea, both at the landing points as well as in first reception centres. At the Presevo registration centre in Serbia, IOM provided an additional mobile team of six people to assist the police with registration activities, which includes helping migrants and refugees fill out questionnaires prior to their registration. On average, IOM assists between 1,500 to 2,000 people per day. On 15 November, IOM in Niger helped to receive and register the 20 th convoy of returnees from Algeria in the Agadez transit centre since December This convoy included a total of 272 migrants, out of which 156 (57%) were adults and 116 (43%) were minors, including 70 children under the age of 5. CONTACTS: Preparedness and Response Division [email protected] Donor Relations Division [email protected]

2 SITUATION OVERVIEW According to the Ministry of Interior and the Turkish Coast Guard Command, 78,646 people have entered Turkey since the start of this year (16 November). An estimated 832,193 arrivals by sea have been reported, with Italy (142,484) and Greece (685,758) receiving the majority of the individuals since the start of the year. On 17 November, a shipwreck off the island of Kos killed 9 of the 20 people on board, bringing the total number of deaths to at least 562 migrants in the Eastern Mediterranean this year. specialists for further treatment. Health problems of migrants and refugees are mainly caused by the long journeys and are related to exhaustion, with respiratory problems, joint pains, and gastrointestinal disorders being the most frequently reported issues. According to the Italian Ministry of Interior, the top five nationalities arriving in Italy are from Eritrea, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. IOM estimates that since the beginning of November, more than 70,000 migrants and refugees have crossed into Greece through the blue border. As of 16 November, Greece has received a total of 731,181 people by land and sea. As of 19 November, the total number of registered people in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is 258,417. A total of 445,405 migrants and refugees have been registered in Serbia (18 November). Between November, IOM estimates that an average of 6,700 people were arriving per day into the country. Due to the fence that was put up along the Serbian and Croatian border to Hungary, numbers registered in Hungary remain low and the government has confirmed that they are ready to build another fence along the Romanian border if necessary. As of 16 November, the Hungarian police report that a total of 391,081 migrants and refugees have entered the country. With the recent attacks in Paris on 13 November, Croatia has introduced stricter measures for arriving migrants and refugees. All biodata collected from arrivals are being checked with partner intelligence services and through Interpol. According to the Ministry of Interior, a total of 408,517 migrants and refugees have entered into Croatia as of 18 November. Between November, an average of 7,670 people were registered daily. With the closure of the Opatovac centre, the Slavonski Brod transit centre has now become the only registration point for migrants and refugees. To date, the Ministry of Health have conducted 18,315 medical examinations, with 527 referred to medical Young migrants who were at Slavonski Brod transit centre enroute to Dobova, Slovenia IOM Croatia, 2015 In Slovenia, authorities have begun to construct a fence at the border with Croatia, near the town of Rigonce. As of 18 November, the Ministry of Interior reported that 235,866 migrants and refugees have entered the country. With an overall objective to contribute to the ongoing efforts of the governments of Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Serbia to address the flows of migrants and refugees, IOM established the Early Warning Information Sharing Network to ensure the provision of key information on the nature and scale of flows. Within this framework, the IOM teams present in Greece, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia continue to gather and process data on the migration flows along the routes and border points and distribute information to relevant stakeholders, including government authorities. 2

3 Data collected from the Information Sharing Network help inform the type of assistance needed and identify vulnerabilities among the population. IOM staff are working closely with NGOs, other international organizations and local authorities on migration management, identification of vulnerable cases and referral to relevant authorities. The information provided by IOM allows partners to work and plan the management of supplies and distribution and respond to the daily needs of the field. Turkey IOM has finalized the purchase and custom clearance of three rescue platforms that will be used by the Turkish Coast Guard Command (TCG) for rescue-at-sea operations. The raft platforms can keep 10 adults afloat and out of the water until further assistance arrives. The three platforms will be delivered to the TCG this week and IOM is awaiting the arrival of four additional platforms. IOM staff are currently in Izmir meeting the TCG to discuss the best modality to provide humanitarian assistance to migrants and refugees who are rescued at sea. Between 3-5 November, IOM in coordination with the TCG and the Directorate General of Migration Management conducted a three day training in Canakkale to 25 participants from the TCG and seven migration officials to build their understanding and capacity on mixed migration and international migration law. A second training for an additional 25 participants is planned in Mersin between November. Greece In order to better track population movement and understand the profiles of the migrant and refugee population, IOM began the implementation of the Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) surveys on the Greek island of Kos and the Idomeni border area with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The DTM will help IOM and partners to facilitate more effective and targeted assistance to affected populations. IOM staff collecting data at the island of Kos and Idomeni border area for DTM IOM Greece, 2015 IOM, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and Administrative Reconstruction, will create an open reception facility in Athens that will accommodate migrants registered with IOM in Greece who wish to return to their country of origin. The facility s accommodation and the return assistance provided will prioritize vulnerable migrants including single-parent families, unaccompanied and separated children, and those with medical needs. The open centre will be the first facility of its kind in which accommodation services as well as psychosocial and medical assistance will be provided to irregular migrants until the logistics and procedure for their voluntary return has been completed. The open centre is expected to begin operating by the end of November. 3

4 Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia On 10 November, IOM deployed an expert on immigration and border management to the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to assist in strengthening the information on the composition and flows going through the Western Balkan countries. More specifically, the focus is to better understand the smuggling and trafficking networks in order to help affected government authorities formulate appropriate policies and responses. The expert has conducted field visits and assessment interviews with relevant government institutions, civil society organizations involved in protection, and stakeholders deployed at the transit centre in Gevgelija. IOM will follow up with the publication of a regional report that will map out the characteristics and patterns of the smuggling and trafficking networks in the key Western Balkan countries. individuals and families, IOM offers transportation assistance from the Miratovac border to the Presevo registration centre. At the Presevo registration centre, IOM has provided an additional mobile team of six people to assist the police in the registration activities, which includes helping migrants and refugees fill out questionnaires prior to their registration. On average, IOM assists between 1,500 to 2,000 people per day. Croatia Authorities in Croatia continue to work on preparing the Slavonski Brod transit centre for the winter season. Four out of the six planned sectors have been operational since its opening, with the last two sectors in its final stages of completion. Each sector has been laid out in a similar IOM continues to support the registration process at transit centre in Gevgelija through the deployment of 12 additional data entry clerks who are assisting in the registration of migrants and refugees. Serbia Containers equipped for the winter provided by IOM at the new transit centre in Slavonski Brod IOM Croatia, 2015 IOM provides vulnerable individuals transport assistance from Miratovac border to registration centre IOM Serbia, 2015 As part of the Early Warning Information Sharing Network, IOM teams have been deployed to the southern border in Serbia to assist border police at the entry point in Miratovac with flow monitoring. IOM also provides incoming migrants and refugees with necessary information and referrals to the registration centre in Presevo. For more vulnerable fashion with heated tents, containers for vulnerable populations, latrines for males/females/persons with disabilities, showers for males/females, drinking water areas, food/clothes distribution points, mother and children areas (in two sectors so far, but with plans to expand in all sectors), and a container for medical services. A total of 20 containers equipped with heaters that IOM provided have now been installed in two sectors of the Slavonski Brod transit centre. IOM continues with its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) activities, with plans to reach a statistically meaningful data set to inform data interpretation. Further recruitment of data collectors is ongoing and IOM plans to put in place an early warning information system that will inform stakeholders of the nature and flows of migration. 4

5 Croatia (continued) As a member of the coordination board for the transit centre, IOM is actively involved in the centre s operations. IOM s translators and interpreters continue to provide their assistance to stakeholders at the Slavonski Brod transit centre, including translation of IOM-specific data collection, interpretation services to migrants during their registration at the centre, family tracing, and medical translation services. Information messages displayed in Arabic, English, Farsi and Urdu at the entry of the Slavonski Brod transit centre IOM Croatia, 2015 To facilitate the transmission of information to incoming migrants and refugees, the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) have installed a large display at the transit centre s entry point, which is the first thing newcomers see when they disembark off incoming trains bringing them to Slavonski Brod. IOM has assisted the MoI with translating the messages that are being displayed in English, Arabic, Farsi and Urdu. Italy In the last week, two boat landings onto the shores of Italy took place, and on 14 November, 407 migrants were rescued and brought to Catania while another 300 were brought to Pozzallo in Sicily. IOM teams in Sicily, composed of field officers and interpreters/cultural mediators met with the rescued migrants to provide them with legal counselling and assistance. As of 16 November, IOM, together with its partners and through its legal roving teams have now assisted with more than 394 boat landings and provided legal counselling to approximately 95% of the migrants who have arrived by sea, both at the landing points as well as the first reception centres. Along with legal advice, IOM informs migrants on Italian migration rules and procedures, on the risks of irregular migration, and monitors the assistance procedures carried out in the reception centres to ensure that migrants rights are respected and needs are met. IOM assistance to migrants also includes referral of vulnerable cases, such as victims of trafficking, health and psychosocial assistance, as well as family reunification activities for those who were separated during rescue operations. Niger Between November, IOM registered 31 migrants in the centre of Arlit upon their return from Algeria: 15 from Benin, 13 from Niger (including 9 children), and 3 from Cameroon. IOM also registered 6 migrants in the Niamey centre who were returning from Algeria and Libya. In total, 84 migrants have received direct assistance from IOM in the form of accommodation, food, water and medical screening. On 15 November, IOM helped to receive and register the 20 th convoy of returnees from Algeria in the Agadez transit centre since December This convoy included a total of 272 migrants, out of which 156 (57%) were adults and 116 (43%) were minors, including 70 children under the age of 5. Over 92% of the returning migrants were native to the region of Zinder, from the department of Kantché. Since December 2014, a total of 5,234 migrants have returned from Algeria, with the majority (3,594) originating from the Zinder region. In the last week, IOM has also organized transport assistance for 50 migrants. Returnees from Algeria waiting for departure to Zinder IOM Niger,

6 Europe / Mediterranean Migration Response In response to the current migration flows, IOM has launched an online portal of trends and transit routes related to the Europe / Mediterranean migration crisis. The below depicts a map of the transit routes and total number of people that travelled to Europe. An updated version of the portal can be found at Recent trends Between November Country Greece Macedonia Serbia Croatia Slovenia Hungary Italy Registered Arrivals 28,775 19,665 34,795 37,984 41, Change in comparison to registered arrivals of previous week (5-11 November) decrease of 26% decrease of 6% decrease of 17% decrease of 13% increase of 8% increase of 50% decrease of 37% 6

7 Europe / Mediterranean Migration Response Movement Trends and Numbers ARRIVALS Italy 142,484 Estimate arrivals as of 19 November Greece 731,181 Estimate arrivals for land and sea as of 18 November Macedonia 258,417 People registered between June to 19 November Serbia 445,405 Estimate arrivals as of 18 November Croatia 408,517 Estimate arrivals as of 18 November Slovenia 235,866 Initial estimate as of 18 November Hungary 391,081 Estimate arrivals as of 16 November Spain 3,845 Estimate arrivals as of 20 October MOBILITY TRACKING & MAPPING POINTS of INTEREST include Border Crossing Points (Entry/Exit), Organized Transit Points/Reception Centres, and Spontaneous Transit Points. *Mapping and tracking exercise is ongoing and points will be refined on the next update. This map is for illustration purposes only. Names and boundaries on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by IOM. As of 19 November 2015 sources: IOM feedback: [email protected]